Eoin Colfer - Ironman: The Gauntlet

“A brilliantly funny, scary, sweeping novel with all the energy of Welsh’s debut.”

NO MAJOR SPOILERS

So this is the third superhero novel I’ve read from Marvel universe, the famous cocky Ironman aka Tony Stark. I like the idea that they’re doing superhero books in novel format, instead of graphic novel / comic. This is something new for me.

Anyway the story started off with a flashback of a young boy Tony Stark. His father, Howard Stark, was working something big, doing research for months and years, in preparation of future doomsday (World War).

Like other normal kids, Tony Stark wants to impress his father with his new project, some sort of a little flying drone that he made out of early Nintendo Gameboy device. Somehow, it shocked his father that Tony has found the secret to the big project that his father has been working for years, which Tony considered as a toy.

His father reminds him that, the toy he created could be the most dangerous weapon in the future. Years later, an adult Tony was scouting the ocean when suddenly he found a very mysterious and suspicious island which was long abandoned. His Ironman suit AI Friday, warned him not to go there but Tony insisted, where at some points his suit was malfunctioning and dropped down to the surface of the ocean.

There at the island, he has yet to meet his dangerous enemy, The Mandarin who possessed five powerful rings that can manipulate five elements and use them at will. This is a very fast read, less than 300 pages, I wish it was longer, but it was fun. What I like about this book is that, it is told right to the point, no dragging introduction and unnecessary details. Perfectly crafted to tell the story on point.